


Columbia

by PrettyCalypso



Series: The Chronicles of Ian & Kira [13]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: AU, Additional Tags Might Be Added, Daddy Ian, Daddy Mickey, F/M, Family Feels, M/M, Not a stand alone story, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-21 21:57:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8261786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyCalypso/pseuds/PrettyCalypso
Summary: Kira makes a life changing decision, and her father isn't too happy about it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Chronicles are back, yay!
> 
> I've been having trouble writing several different fics at the same time lately, so I've been mainly focused on my other multichap ([Just a piece of paper](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7819762/chapters/17847472)), but it's almost done, so I decided to slowly go back to my favorite little family! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter begins with Kira sleeping with her boyfriend, so if you are like her father and can't bare the idea of Baby Kira having sex, please skip that part. (Not gonna lie: I had trouble writing an explicit sex scene for Kira, she's my baby too.)

 

Kira began rocking back and forth, her nails sinking into the skin of her boyfriend's chest. Teddy was guiding her movements with his large hands securely wrapped around her hips. She moaned lowly, her eyes closed and her head titled back.

 

“Did you tell him yet?” Teddy asked, his voice slightly too steady for what they were doing.

 

“You seriously wanna talk about my dad right now?” Kira replied, trying not to loose her rhythm.

 

“I just want to know if you told him.”

 

The young woman paused her movements and opened her eyes. She looked down to see her boyfriend staring back at her, unfazed by what was going on in the lower part of his body.

 

“No, I haven't told him yet.” she admitted. “But I will today. Yev is back from his summer camp, and we're all having lunch together at home.”

 

She hoped the information would be enough for Teddy to drop the subject so they could go back to their more sensual activity, but apparently her boyfriend had other plans.

 

“It's just that you told your mom already, it was over two weeks ago, and you still haven't talk to your dad.”

 

Kira sighed. She lifted her hips, and climbed off of her boyfriend to sit on the bed next to him. The mood had been killed, the moment was over, and Teddy was clearly not into sex right now. The man rose from his lying position to sit back against the headboard. He was looking at Kira, waiting for an explanation.

 

“You know I didn't have a real relationship with my mom for a long time, right?”

 

“I know.” Teddy nodded slowly. “Jail.”

 

“Yeah, she was in prison for most of my childhood, and it was just me and my dad. And so, even now, when something important is going on in my life, I tell my mom because I kinda have to, but I don't care about her opinion half as much as I care about my dad's. My mom also comes second. And even that... sometimes I'm pretty sure I care more about what Mickey thinks than what she thinks.”

 

“I'm sure your dad will be thrilled for you.” Teddy smiled softly. “And you know he loves me.”

 

“Let's just say he's warming up to you.” Kira laughed lightly.

 

Teddy's smile faltered a little, but he didn't make a case of it, he simply grab Kira's hand and ran his thumb smoothly over her skin.

 

“Promise me you'll tell him.” he pleaded, his voice a little weak.

 

“I will.” Kira smiled, lowering her head to drop a small kiss on her boyfriend's lips. “I love you.”

 

***

 

The house was messy, with Ellie's toys laying all over the place, Yev's sleeping bag and backpack decorating the corner he had dropped them in about two hours ago, the kitchen showing the results of Ian's culinary experimentation, and Kira's college books spreading all over the place, from her bedroom to the living room; but it was a happy Gallagher-Milkovich mess, as the family reunited cheerfully around the dining table for a mid-afternoon lunch. Yevgeny told stories about his summer camp experience, joking not only about the kids, but also about his fellow camp counselors. Elena tried to get out of eating her vegetables by saying the green beans were the daddies and the peas were the babies, and that she couldn't eat a family, and when it didn't work, she added the potatoes as the big sisters and the big brothers. Kira watched her family interact, reminding her of how much she had missed them all being together around a same table during her and Yev's first year away at college. She smiled. Her father caught it and smiled back at her. Kira's heart ached a little. She took a deep breath. It was now or never.

 

“I got something to tell you all.” she said, trying to sound confident.

 

“What's wrong?” Mickey asked, obviously picking up on her tension.

 

“You're pregnant!” Yevgeny exclaimed, and Ian's eyes went wide.

 

Kira looked at her father and shook her head.

 

“No, I'm not pregnant.” she stated. “But I... I'm moving to New York.”

 

“What?”

 

Kira felt all pairs of eyes on her – except for Ellie's, who was still playing with her food family.

 

“Teddy's been offered a job in a tech company in New York, and he asked me to come with him.”

 

“So, you're actually thinking about it?” Ian asked.

 

“No.” Kira shook her head. “I'm not asking for advice, or for an authorization, I'm telling you. I'm moving to New York. I've decided this as an adult...”

 

“You're 19!” Ian almost screamed.

 

“And as a 19-year-old adult, I decided to move in with my boyfriend of one year in New York.”

 

“What about college?”

 

“I've taken care of it, I've asked for a credit transfer, and I'm starting in Columbia at the beginning of the semester.” Kira calmly explained.

 

“Columbia, huh?” her father replied. “The University of Chicago wasn't good enough for you?”

 

His voice was high and erratic by now.

 

“Dad...” Kira tried to soothe.

 

She reached over and made a move to grab his hand, but her father suddenly stood up.

 

“I'm gonna go take a walk.” he declared, leaving a heavy silence in his wake.

 

“I'm sorry.” Kira muttered after the front door had closed behind the redhead.

 

“It's okay.” Mickey smiled. “He'll come around. I'm sure you weighed the pros and cons, and made an informed, responsible decision –”

 

“I did.” Kira interrupted. “I know what I'm doing.”

 

“I know.” Mickey smiled again. “And I'm happy for you.”

 

***

 

Kira closed the bedroom door behind herself and leaned her head against the wood.

 

“Is Ian back?” Yevgeny asked.

 

He was sitting on his bed, his back against the headboard and his legs outstretched above his sheets. Kira nodded and went to sit next to her brother on the bed.

 

“He's still pissed though.”

 

“He just doesn't want to see his baby move far away from him.” Yev smirked.

 

“Yeah, laugh it off. You'll see how your dad will react when you'll be the one moving away!”

 

“Oh, I'm never leaving Chicago.” Yev teased back. “I wouldn't dare...”

 

“Not even to join Hannah in California?” Kira winked.

 

Yevgeny's smile dropped, and his expression darkened.

 

“Sorry.” Kira mumbled immediately, her brain working very fast to find another subject of conversation. “How's Kate? You had fun supervising the camp and kids with her?”

 

“Yeah.” Yev nodded, gaining a little composure. “Kate is always fun. We always have a good laugh, the sex part is always nice, but...”

 

“You're not in love with her?”

 

“No. She's a good friend, a fuck buddy at best, but I don't really feel anything for her.”

 

“And you haven't heard from Hannah at all?”

 

“Nope. Not that I actually tried to contact her either.” Yevgeny sighed. “And you?”

 

“Just a few texts here and there.” Kira confessed.

 

Hannah and Yevgeny had broken up at the end of the first semester, when they hadn't seen each other since summer, and Hannah had told Yev she wouldn't come back to Chicago for Christmas. They were both too poor to buy plane tickets, and the calls and texts weren't enough anymore to keep their relationship alive. Yevgeny had spent Christmas break crying in his bed. It had been heartbreaking to witness by the entire family. Even Kira's own friendship with Hannah had reached a rough patch with the distance, and the once BFFs were now only exchanging a couple of texts every other month.

 

“Does she... have a boyfriend?” Yevgeny asked carefully, like he didn't really want an answer to that question.

 

Kira shook her head.

 

“Not that I know of.”

 

Yevgeny nodded silently, and he leaned his head against the wall above his bed, staring into space, loosing himself in his thoughts.

 

“What about I kick your ass in a video game?” Kira suddenly asked, wanting nothing more than to break the silence and bring Yevgeny back from his _'Hannah thoughts'_.

 

Yevgeny straightened up and grinned.

 

“You think you can beat me, huh? I'll show you how it's done Gallagher!”

 

“Oh, we'll see about that Milkovich!”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a MESS right now. I have a million fics to finish, and another million to write. I need to finish this series, not only this installment but also at least two other prompts I've been sent for this family. I have one multichap to end (if I don't count the two other I never finished). I have about a hundred prompts to write, and I'm also working on this two-chapter story that demands a lot of work and researches. And on top of all of that I also have my everyday life to handle with my job, my classes and my fucking driving lessons. I am a little overwhelmed to say the least. So if I take forever to write something, to update, or to reply to comments, that's normal.

 

Mickey walked in his bedroom to find his husband sitting crossed-legs in front of their closet, the doors wide open, and the redhead staring absentmindedly at their clothes. Mickey had learned over the years that this was Ian's favorite place to think when he was feeling down or overwhelmed.

 

“You okay?” he asked softly, and Ian nodded without detaching his eyes from the closet.

 

Mickey sighed and closed the bedroom door behind himself, leaning against the wood and waiting for his husband to spill the truth.

 

“No, actually.” Ian finally whispered. “Kira is leaving. My baby...”

 

“I know.” Mickey breathed out, sitting on the ground next to his husband. “But she's only going to New York, it's not that far away.”

 

“She should have told me.”

 

“She's an adult now, Ian. A young adult, but still an adult. And yes, maybe she should have told you before, but I don't think it would have changed anything. She's old enough to make her own decisions, and she's not even giving up on college, she's going to a fucking Ivy League school of all things! She's a smart girl Ian, you should trust her choices.”

 

Ian's lips formed a small smile against his will.

 

“I hate when you're smarter than me.”

 

Mickey nudged the redhead's shoulder.

 

“Fuck you, I'm smart.”

 

“Sorry...” Ian mumbled.

 

“Hey, that's okay.” Mickey smiled, kissing his husband's cheek.

 

Ian hinted a small smile of his own, and Mickey kept kissing his cheek, his jawline, his neck, trying to make his husband grin wider and wider.

 

“What you're going?” a small voice suddenly asked, and both men turned toward the door.

 

Elena was standing in the door frame, in her footed pajamas, her thumb in her mouth, and her security blanket in hand.

 

“I'm kissing your daddy.” Mickey answered with a smile. “Why aren't you in bed?”

 

“I'm not tired.” the little girl claimed, barely hiding her yawn. “Why are you kissing daddy?”

 

“Because I love him.” Mickey explained. “And because he's a little sad tonight.”

 

Elena walked to her fathers, and placed her little hand on Ian's shoulder before kissing his other cheek.

 

“Why are you sad daddy?”

 

“Because your sister Kira is leaving, she's moving away.”

 

“Where?”

 

“New York.”

 

“Is it far away?”

 

“A little, we'll still be able to visit her, but she won't be living at home anymore.”

 

Elena seemed to be thinking for a minute, her hand still placed on her father's shoulder, she looked at him intently.

 

“But...” she said, sounding a little unsure of herself. “Kira doesn't live at home.”

 

“The kid is right.” Mickey nodded. “When Kira is not in her dorm, she's at Teddy's, or staying with her mom for most of the holidays. It won't make much of a difference.”

 

Ian's eyes traveled from his daughter to his husband, both looking at him lovingly.

 

“Yeah, maybe.” he sighed. “But up until now this house was her official residence, it was her home, the place she'll come back to no matter what. It won't be anymore.”

 

********

 

Teddy walked in on Kira sitting in front of the closet in the bedroom, staring vaguely into space.

 

“What you're doing?”

 

“It's a thing my dad does sometimes. I think it helps him think.”

 

“Okay.” Teddy nodded, sitting on the bed.

 

He watched his girlfriend stay in this position for a couple of more minutes. This girl was still a mystery to him sometimes.

 

“You're okay babe?” he wondered after a too long silence on Kira's part.

 

Kira hummed, barely nodding, and keeping her eyes fixed on the closet. Teddy stood up from the bed to go sit next to his girlfriend.

 

“You're sure?” he asked again, rubbing her arm softly. “Cause if you have doubts, maybe you should stay in Chicago one more year. I'll come back often, we'll make our relationship work.”

 

Kira finally turned to look at him, a large smile splitting her face in two.

 

“You're adorable.” she said, like she had just figured that out. “But I want to do it, I want to move to New York, and I want to live with you. I am absolutely certain.”

 

She pecked Teddy's lips quickly and went back to staring at the closet. Teddy laced their fingers together and decided to try looking at the empty space behind the hanging clothes. He wasn't sure to understand what the appeal was, or how it could help anyone think, so his eyes traveled back to Kira, to her fixed stare and her frowning eyebrows.

 

“You worry about your dad?”

 

“Not really.” Kira shrugged. “I know he'll be okay, Mickey's here for him. And he still has Ellie. I was just thinking... I think there's something else I need to do before leaving. Something important I've been thinking about for a while now...”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was short, but it's more of a transition toward the next chapter, which is quite an important one. And I'll try not to have you wait three more months before updating.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira has something important she needs to do.

 

The door buzzed open, and the guard gestured for the group to walk in. They formed a discipline line, and presented themselves one by one to the man in the little glass cubicle before they could cross another door and undergo the pat-down by a bunch of overeager prison workers.

 

“Name.” the man in the cubicle asked with a grunt.

 

“Kira... Milkovich.” the young woman answered hesitantly.

 

“ID.” the man demanded in the same aggressive yet bored tone.

 

She slid her ID in the small opening in the glass. The man grabbed it and looked at it for barely half a second.

 

“This says your name is Davis-Gallagher.” he read, looking back up at Kira.

 

“It's my maiden name. I didn't find the time to have my ID changed since I got married.” the young woman lied easily. “I registered for the visit as Milkovich.”

 

The man stared at her for some time before looking back at her ID. He shrugged and slid the little plastic rectangle back to her.

 

“Reason for visit?” he asked, going back to his previous tone.

 

“I'm a Criminology student and I'm writing a paper on... murderers?” she had prepared her lie but now that she was saying it out loud, it sounded quite ridiculous. She kept going though. “I have an authorization to interview prisoner Steve Olson.”

 

The man behind the glass nodded and slid a visitor pass through the opening.

 

“The man's been here for twenty years and he hasn't had a lot of visitors.” the guard warned before opening the door. “Especially a young and pretty lady like you, so maybe you should...”

 

He gestured vaguely at his own chest, and Kira quickly buttoned up her blouse to erase any hint of revealing cleavage. This was going to be fun.

 

She silently let the sweaty guard with wandering hands pat her down, only rolling her eyes when he became a little too adventurous, and smirking when his superior reminded him that Kira wasn't the only one, that there was a line of visitor waiting behind her. She was then led to a large room with a long line of tables and chairs, each individual spot separated by a piece of plastic for some semblance of privacy, and the side of visitors separated from the prisoners by a wall of glass. Kira sat on the third chair, as ordered by the guards, and waited. The last time she had been in a place like this she was ten years old and accompanied by her father. For some fucked-up reason, prisons reminded her of some pretty good childhood memories: waking up early on a Sunday morning, eating a pile of pancakes or French toasts, the two-hour road trip with her dad, laughing and listening to loud music, singing off-key to the lyrics of famous Disney songs or generic pop hits, and then seeing her mother she hadn't talk to in weeks, her mother who always wore the biggest smile when she saw Kira through that glass, and telling her about every little detail that had been going on during the past month. “Riley Sundays” were always happy days when Kira was a kid. And here she was now, in another prison, on another Sunday, but she didn't feel half as happy. On the contrary, her stomach was tied in a knot and her palms were sweating. She had no idea what she had walked into, and she was starting to wonder if it had been such a great idea. The buzzing sound rang again, and the first prisoners in their orange jumpsuits started to fill the room, sitting in their designated places and reaching for the phone, ready to talk to their loved ones, to their lawyers, or to their random visitors. The man who sat in front of Kira was the fifth man to walk in. His hair was dark and almost bald on the sides, his eyes were gray, and there was a large tattoo covering half of his face. Kira wouldn't have expected less of him, he looked exactly as she imagined him. She brought the phone to her ear and saw the man do the same.

 

“The fuck are you?” he greeted her.

 

“Kira Milkovich.” she said shyly. “Criminology student. I'm interviewing prisoners for a paper.”

 

“Not interested.” the man grunted.

 

He made a move to leave, and Kira gripped the phone tighter against her ear.

 

“Wait! I can get you cigarettes, or... whatever you might need. Money maybe?”

 

The man turned back to Kira.

 

“Alright.” he nodded. “And maybe you can pop the first couple of buttons open.”

 

He jerked his head toward Kira's blouse, and the girl put her hand on her chest as a protection reflex.

 

“No.” she shook her head, knowing she might regret it. “That's not what I'm here for.”

 

The man stared at her for a few long seconds, before he sighed.

 

“Why do you want to interview me? And not fucking Jay over here, or Mike over there?”

 

Kira took a deep breath, and executed her best fake smile.

 

“Because you killed several men, and that's kind of exciting.”

 

She hated her voice, her tone, and her fake interest in the homicidal acts of this creep, but she needed to talk to him and flattery was probably the best way to get there.

 

“Murder turns you on, huh?” he smirked. “You're my kind of gal...”

 

Kira smiled broader. This man was so disgusting.

 

“I just think it takes courage to end a man's life. I'm sure it's not easy.”

 

“Easier than you'd think.” he nodded. “Sometimes you just need to get rid of the people keeping you from moving forward.”

 

Kira's heart started beating faster. This conversation was going exactly where she wanted it to be.

 

“Like... dumping a girlfriend?” she inquired, twisting her finger in the cord of the phone.

 

“Yeah, exactly like that.”

 

“Did you ever dump a girlfriend?” she asked lightly. “Or maybe you have someone waiting for you outside?”

 

“Nope.” he shook his head. “Dead weight. Don't need no girlfriend. Only good to get you arrested.”

 

“Is that what happened to you?”

 

The man snickered and shook his head, disbelieving his own memory.

 

“Got this high school girl following me around. She was all in love and shit, a little too clingy for my taste, but she was a good helper when it came to my little 'side business'. Bitch fucked up and got me busted. Took life because of her.”

 

Kira gripped the cord tighter.

 

“Are you talking about Riley Davis?”

 

“How d'you know her name?”

 

“I did my research on you before coming here. I also read that _you_ pulled the trigger in that convenience store, _you_ killed the owner, and _you_ gave Riley's name to the police.”

 

“Like I said: bitch had it coming.”

 

Kira swallowed with difficulty. She found it harder and harder to play nicey-nice with this jerk.

 

“Did you know she was pregnant?” she asked, even though she had promised herself she wouldn't bring the subject up. “Did you know you knocked up a teenage girl and then sent her to prison only weeks after her baby was born? You're a real classy dude.”

 

The man's face seemed to suddenly soften.

 

“Riley had a baby?” he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. “I have a kid out there?”

 

Kira took a deep breath.

 

“Maybe.” she shrugged. “Poor child probably ended up in the foster system, and who knows where they are now? Maybe they're on their way to join you here. Or maybe they're dead in a ditch somewhere. All that because you're a selfish son of a bitch. A coward not even capable of recognizing his own faults and putting all the blame on an influenced teenage girl blinded by a high school crush. Go fuck yourself Steve Olson, I have no interest in writing about you in my paper.”

 

And with that, Kira put the phone back in its place and left the room, not even turning back to see the prisoner's reaction.

 

***

 

The heat of the late summer hit her like a truck when she exited the building, and she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. She stayed there for a minute, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face and this sudden feeling of freedom.

 

“So? How did it go?”

 

Kira opened her eyes to see Teddy leaning against his car a few feet away, his eyebrows frowned in worry. She smiled and took the few steps separating them, wrapping her arms around his torso.

 

“I've never felt better.” she laughed lightly, meeting his lips for a kiss.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M STILL ALIVE!!!!

 

Ian popped an aspirin into his mouth and brought the water bottle to his lips to pass it down, as Mickey sucked intensely on his cigarette.

 

“Remember when you thought driving from Chicago to New York with a young kid and a grumpy teenager would be fun?” Mickey growled. “Not to mention your daughter and her boyfriend driving a rented truck and dragging their asses ten miles behind us.”

 

“Don't remind me.” Ian sighed, running a hand over his face.

 

Their little road trip had been going on for what felt like weeks, and they were still at least a good half day from New York. Elena was, as usual, loud and overexcited at all times, Yevgeny was still pissed that he had been forced to come along, and Kira and Teddy kept fighting over what route to take and how long the trip was taking. Ian had hoped that stretching it over two days and stopping in a motel for the night would calm everybody down, but when they went back into the car that morning everybody's mood was even worse, and the redhead was popping pills to get his headache at bay while Mickey was smoking more than he had ever smoked during their entire marriage.

 

“You think we can sneak a sleeping pill into Ellie's apple juice?” Ian suddenly wondered, looking at the little girl squealing to get Yevgeny's attention and tugging on the cord of his headphones.

 

“You want to drug our daughter?” Mickey replied with a raise of eyebrows.

 

“You have a better idea?”

 

“Yeah, leaving her for the weekend with one of her many aunts and uncles!”

 

Ian sat heavily on the bench in front of the little gas station. It was one of these times when he completely regretted not listening to his husband, thinking he knew better.

 

“I'm sorry Mick.” he admitted, resting his head against the wall of the shitty little store.

 

Mickey sat beside him and placed an affectionate hand on Ian's knee.

 

“Maybe some cough syrup can do the trick...” he suggested, making the redhead laugh.

 

They stayed on the bench for a few more minutes, enjoying the monotone sound of the cars driving by on the highway, and taking a small break from parenting. Then, Ian suddenly jumped to his feet with a smile on his face. Watching the kids fight playfully from afar had given him an idea.

 

“Hey Yevy!” he yelled, successfully obtaining the boy's attention. “Can you make your sister run a couple of rounds in the grass over there? And be careful please!”

 

Yevgeny nodded and directed Elena to the little patch of grass away from the road, before he stole her doll from her hands and made her run to catch it.

 

“It's kinda mean, man...” Mickey stated when Ian returned to the bench.

 

“Yeah, but it's working. And don't tell me you've never done that with Mandy's toys.”

 

“I did that all the time.” Mickey nodded. “Still, our poor baby...”

 

“She'll get over it.” Ian waved off. “She's gonna run a little, be very tired and sleep in the car, and tomorrow she'll have forgotten all about it.”

 

“Don't tell me how to drink my coffee!” Kira's voice suddenly broke free as she opened the door of the gas station and exited into the sun, a cup of coffee in hand and throwing an angry glaze at Teddy, following her close by.

 

“I know babe, but this gas station coffee tastes horrible, I thought you'd like two sugars instead of one.”

 

The poor man was almost pleading, and Ian couldn’t hide his small smile as he leaned toward his husband and whispered in his ear:

 

“Do you think they're gonna break up and she's gonna come back home by the end of the day?”

 

Mickey rolled his eyes and threw his cigarette butt away.

 

“Come on.” he said, lightly patting the redhead's knee. “Let's go.”

 

And Ian's plan to exhaust their daughter might not have made it to a good parenting book, but at least it worked well enough for the two men to strap a yawning little girl back in the car. As soon as he closed the door behind her, Mickey turned to see Ian's stretched out hand and he couldn't help but to give his husband the high five he deserved.

 

“Let's drive, baby!”

 

“Did you just call me 'baby'?”

 

“Me? Never!”

  


********

  


The apartment was small but bright, in the outskirt of Manhattan, in the first few streets of Harlem, where housing was considerably cheaper. Only one tiny bedroom, an even tiniest bathroom en-suite, and one moderately spacious living space. But void of all furniture, with only a few boxes placed in the corner and six people standing there, it seemed gigantic.

  


"Well... There we are."

  


"Yeah."

  


Ian had trouble keeping his tears at bay. He felt Mickey squeeze his left hand, and Kira's arm snaked around his back as she dropped her head on his right shoulder.

  


"You'll be happy here." he said softly to his eldest daughter.

  


"I will." Kira answered, barely above a whisper.

  


"And if you're not, you can always come back home."

  


The young woman chuckled.

  


"I know dad, I know."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and/or comments. And you can also come talk and share with me on my [tumblr](http://ilostmylifeonline.tumblr.com/), it's always appreciated. :)


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